George Hamilton IV Down Home in The Country (1970 2020)

A really great early album from George Duke - quite different than his work for MPS to follow - and more in a groovy late 60s California mode! There's a vibe here that resonates nicely with some other late 60s sessions on Liberty Records - kind of an expansion of a Cali soul jazz mode, similar to the style the Crusaders were starting to go for - but colored in with some of Duke's obviously hip inclinations as well! George plays some great electric piano on the record - and other players include Ernie Watts on tenor and flute, and Jay Graydon on guitar.

Frank Zappa - The Mothers 1970 (2020) {4CD Set, Zappa Records–UMe ZR20033}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.63 b | MP3 @320 -> 667 Mb
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© 1970, 2020 Zappa Records / UMe | ZR20033
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

Zappa Records/UMe issued The Mothers 1970, a four-CD Frank Zappa box set which features 70 unreleased tracks from the short-lived 1970 line-up of the Mothers of Invention. The band during this period last around seven months and was Aynsley Dunbar, George Duke, Ian Underwood, Jeff Simmons, and Flo & Eddie (aka Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman).

Overseen by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister, Joe Travers, The Mothers 1970 collects together more than four hours of previously unreleased performances by the heralded line-up which lasted roughly seven months: Aynsley Dunbar (drums), George Duke (piano/keys/trombone), Ian Underwood (organ/keys/guitar), Jeff Simmons (bass/vocals) and Flo & Eddie aka Howard Kaylan (vocals) and Mark Volman (vocals/percussion) of The Turtles who performed under the aliases to skirt contractual limitations of performing under their own names. This iteration of The Mothers, which likely began rehearsals fifty years ago this month, came to an end in January of 1971 when Simmons quit the band during the making of the 200 Motels movie.

Like everything on Memphis Slim's album Goin' Back to Tennessee or Alvin Youngblood Hart's "Tallacatcha" (a Western swing performance worthy of Bob Wills), Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's 1975 Barclay album Down South in the Bayou Country completely transcends any and all attempts to confine this diverse artist within the artificial parameters of blues or any other preordained category. Consisting mostly of songs written by Hoyt Garrick, Jr., Charles Gressett, and David Craig with additional tunes by J. Loyd and Joe Stampley, this pretty parfait of country & western, Southern rock, cowboy hoedown, and electric Cajun soul music was recorded during February and March 1974 in Bogalusa, LA. Gatemouth, fresh from his tenure as Deputy Sheriff of San Juan County, NM, sounds particularly pleased to be active at the center of a project so completely infused with authentic Southern sensibilities. Perhaps the most satisfying track off of the original album is "Loup Garou." This hoodoo funk ritual with background vocals by Geraldine "Sister Gerry" Richard sounds as if it might have been influenced by Dr. John's "Loop Garoo," which had appeared on that artist's Atco album Remedies in 1970.

Cat Stevens (now Yusuf, of course) has re-recorded his 1970 album, Tea For The Tillerman, in its entirety for the 50th anniversary of the record.